Section 6 Consultation - Completed

Section 6 Consultation (Jan-Feb 2025) - Completed

Introduction

The Portsmouth Street Pedestrianisation Scheme was to provide a pedestrianised area to facilitate the movement of pedestrians between the existing campus in Sheffield Street and the new campus at 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A. The scheme was funded by the London School of Economics (LSE) under a S278 agreement, the works were implemented by FM Conway and have been completed.

The traffic restriction on Portsmouth Street prohibits loading/unloading at any time except between 3am and 9am. Two sets of removable bollards were installed at the junctions with Sheffield Street and Portugal Street as part of the developer scheme. However, the Stage 3 Road Safety Audit and post-implementation observation have revealed that some vehicles are using Portsmouth Street from Sardinia Street outside the permitted hours. It poses a potential safety hazard to students and other road users in the area. To address this issue, it is proposed to install three removable bollards near the junction with Sardinia Street to prevent vehicle access outside permitted hours.

A Section 6 consultation was undertaken over a 3-week period, from 15^th January 2025 to 4^th February 2025, via Common Place. A letter drop  was conducted to 39 addresses in the vicinity of the proposed works.

Consultation Results

The Common Place page included a question asking whether respondents supported or opposed the proposal, with the option to leave a comment. A total of 111 responses were received. The results showed that 86.5% of respondents supported the proposal, while 13.5% opposed it. The table below provides a summary of the consultation results.

 Main support themes

• General support to make the street safer for road users
• Practical solution to the existing concern

Main objection themes

• The current situation/road is not dangerous, hence the proposed work is unnecessary 

WCC response: Based on the Stage 3 Road Safety Audit and post-implementation observation as mentioned above, this location has been identified as a potential safety hazard. As a result, the bollards installation is proposed as a mitigation measure.

• Bollards may cause problem for emergency vehicles

WCC response: In the event of emergency, London School of Economics’ on-site security team will remove the bollards. The team is available at all times.

• Concern about traffic and congestion impacts

WCC response: Portsmouth Street is already pedestrianised, with current traffic restrictions prohibiting loading/unloading at any time except between 3am and 9am. As such, the installation of bollards is not expected to impact the traffic.

Next Step

Following the positive feedback received during the consultation, the City Council will proceed with the installation of 3 removeable bollards on Portsmouth Street. The works are scheduled to take place in late May/early June.